Millington Reserve Officer Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

Millington Reserve Officer Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

MEMPHIS, TN—A 66-year-old Millington reserve police officer has been indicted on multiple charges for possessing and producing child pornography. The indictment was announced by Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.

According to the indictment, between July 2013 and July 2015, Rickie Friar created various images and videos of six minor females engaging in sexually explicit conduct. At least one of the minors was under the age of 12 years old at the time.

Over the aforementioned time period, Friar also transported one of the minor females between Tennessee and Oklahoma for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Furthermore, he downloaded child pornographic images from the Internet and stored them on his Compaq computer, according to the indictment.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has also filed charges alleging Friar had sexual contact with minor females. He has been in state custody since his arrest in July.

Friar has been indicted federally on one count of transporting a minor for criminal sexual activity; 10 counts of production of child pornography; and one count of child pornography possession.

Friar faces a minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted of transporting a minor for criminal sexual activity.

Friar faces a minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment for each count of production of child pornography.

Friar faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted of possession of child pornography.

Friar faces up to $250,000 in fines per offense of conviction.

The case is being investigated by the Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force. The collective is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; Shelby County Sheriff’s Department; Memphis Police Department; U.S. Postal Investigation Service; U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Ireland is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

Anyone who believes they may have information about this case or related activities is asked to contact the Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force at 901.747.4300.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab “resources.”

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.